Fresh this Week from Summer Creek Farm

Fresh This Week

• New red potatoes
• Snow peas
• Red Russian kale
• English shelling peas
• Radishes
• Fresh garlic bulbs
  ... and more!

Notes from the Farm

Busy time at the farm, baled hay yesterday and unloaded in the barn before the rains. Dug some new potatoes till after dark to beat the rain. Our workers picked all day in the rain Thursday to get you fresh produce, by lunch they were drenched! Fresh peas are not easy to pick in the rain. Wet vines all over searching for those pods.

Tomatoes are growing, vines are over 4' tall now. Squash in bloom, beans starting to flower, soon more summer produce will be on it's way. I hope you have enjoyed our offerings so far.

--Farmer Rick

Kale

A member of the cabbage family, kale is a hearty green. As such, it needs to be cooked thoroughly. For best results, blanch kale (boil briefly) before sauteeing with a little olive oil and garlic, or other spices.

Kale is a nutrition powerhouse - 1 cup has 206% the recommended daily value of vitamin A, and 134% of Vitamin C. It's also a good source of fiber--just like many of our CSA items--and has 2 grams of protein per serving. Kale keeps best in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. This week's box may have Red Russian Kale (pictured) or Tuscan kale (also known as Lacinato kale), which has a crinkly texture and darker color, earning it the nickname black kale.

Sources: Fine Cooking and NutritionData

Recipe Feature

Crispy Kale Chips

If you think your family won't eat kale, try this. It's important to dry the leaves thoroughly before cooking, or they won't be as crispy.

1 bunch kale

1-2 tbsp olive oil
sprinkle of chili powder, paprika, garlic powder (optional - any combination you wish)
sea salt, to taste (important: add the salt after baking!)
Preheat oven to 350, and line a large cookie sheet (with sides) or baking pan with parchment paper. Wash kale, and dry thoroughly. Cut kale into bite-size pieces. Drizzle olive oil over kale, coating the leaves as evenly as possible. Add spices, if using (but NOT salt yet). Spread the leaves into a thin layer on the parchment, and put in oven for 12-20 minutes. Check at 12 minutes. Kale is done when it is crispy with a texture almost like paper. Do not allow the leaves to brown. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: modified from Steamy Kitchen